“dance anywhere® is such a wild concept! Could you even imagine if the whole world stopped to dance?” said Tanya Chianese, artistic director of ka·nei·see | collective. “dance anywhere® is also a great excuse to go out in one’s community and dance with no pressure- Without any other reason than to simply dance!”

Tanya Chianese

For dance anywhere® 2014 ka·nei·see | collective performed in front of a large waterfall fountain at Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown San Francisco. As passerby strolled in the park or stopped to eat lunch, the dancers performed on a few ledges and a large concrete walkway behind the waterfall. “We started with a choreographed section with coffee mugs, before breaking out into dancing the same phrase on a ledge, eventually using the stage space for a choreographed trio, improvising around the perimeter of the waterfall, and eventually returning to our starting positions and dances with coffee mugs.”

Tanya Chianese

The dancers were accompanied by saxophone player, Rob Best, who played his own version of Erroll Garner’s ‘Misty’ as the dancers warmed up. Rob’s saxophone brought a lot of attention, and people began to gather, aware that some sort of performance would ensue. By the time the clock tower struck twelve noon the dancers had a whole audience of about 30 people lined up and sitting in front of the dance space. Over the course of our dance many other spectators gathered along the edges, above the dancers, and on the grass lawn in front. “We got lovely feedback, and great applause. We even got a young child want one of the dancer’s autograph!”

Tanya Chianese

Tanya says that her 2014 dance anywhere® experience was a wonderful and memorable one. “The performance was exhilarating. It is a wonderful experience to know that your audience is surprised…Bringing awareness to dance and reminding people to appreciate the little moments in life is what ka.nei.see | collective strives for, so it was very satisfying.”

This is Tanya’s third year participating in dance anywhere®. She continues to participate because she is continuously inspired by the communities created by dance anywhere®. “Every year I hear rave reviews from passerby who are taken off guard, and then inspired by the event. Going online and seeing the photos and videos that participants around the world post after each year are unbelievable. I think everyone should participate! It’s the coolest!”

Tanya Chianese

For more information on ka·nei·see | collective visit their website or dance anywhere page